Serbia: Grain and Feed Annual
Persistent drought in July and August 2017 has affected most of the spring crops in Serbia, mainly corn, soya, sunflower and sugar beets. Crop yields were forecasted to decline by 30-60 percent with total losses potentially reaching USD 1.5 billion. Serbia’s marketing year (MY) 2017/18 wheat crop was good at an estimated 2.3 million metric tons (MMT), but 23 percent lower compared to 3 MMT in the previous record year. Good wheat quality and high ending stock left over 1 MMT of wheat available for export. The MY 2018/19 wheat planted area is reported to be 17.3 percent higher than last year or approximately 675,000 hectares (HA). Post estimates for MY 2017/18 corn production reached 4 MMT, or a drop of 50 percent compared to 2016 when corn production was a record high 7.6 MMT. Corn and wheat exports from Serbia reached record low levels in MY2017/18 due to limited quantities and high prices. For MY 2018/19, planted area for corn is projected to be 900,000 HA or 10 percent lower than last year.
